'Real Life' Motoring

As the build up to the 2018 World Superbike Championship continues, the all new #MotorMartinRacing desk has become rather inundated with exciting team and testing news. Indeed Honda have sent confirmation that Patrick ‘PJ’ Jacobsen will race the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 for the TripleM Honda WSBK Team in the 2018 FIM Superbike World Championship. After several years racing at the front of the field in the World Supersport championship, the 24-year-old American is ready to make his debut in the prestigious class by becoming the standard-bearer of Honda’s new satellite team in the series.

It’s been explained to MotorMartin that this is a welcome return to the Honda family for Jacobsen, who in the two-year period from 2015-2016 was able to put together a tally of two wins, eleven podiums, two pole positions and three fastest laps with Honda machinery in World Supersport – along with the runner-up spot in 2015. The following year, Jacobsen also impressed on board the previous model of the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade in the Endurance World Championship, riding for the F.C.C. TSR Honda Team at Portimão and Suzuka.

Patrick Jacobsen 99

I’m very excited to be making my World Superbike debut with TripleM Honda WSBK Team. It’s a great opportunity for me to be finally racing in this class and I want to thank the team and Honda for making this possible. Both the team and I will be rookies in the WorldSBK championship so there’ll surely be a lot to learn, but it’s a challenge that stimulates me and I can’t wait to get started. I enjoyed racing the Fireblade in the EWC two years ago and I love riding 1000cc bikes, so I’m looking forward to trying the new Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.

– TripleM Honda WSBK Team

Marco Chini

Honda’s WorldSBK Operations Manager

We’re happy to welcome back PJ in the Honda family. He’s a young and very talented rider who has a good amount of experience across different championships, so it will be good to see him riding the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 in World Superbike. I reckon the TripleM Honda WSBK Team is the perfect fit for him because they can learn and grow together in the series during their first year. We look forward to seeing PJ out on track in Honda colours again.

– Honda Motor Europe

It’s going to be the closest racing we’ve seen for quite some time in MotorMartin’s opinion.